What bunting
 

Can anyone help with the i.d. of a bunting type bird that was observed aboard my unit on the 30-4-03 & 1-5-03

It was about the size of a large yellow hammer it was black around the eyes which had a pale / grey eye ring, fading to a grey / brown hood with a bright yellow throat and collar fading to dull yellow / greenish unstreaked underparts.Its upperparts were a light grey / brown with a faint chestnut area at the top of its back. It had no white in its tail which it gave an occational chat like cock, I think it is a Black headed bunting but not all of the hood was black. Any suggestions.

Dave

Dave,
Sounds a very interesting find. Have you considered a female Black-headed Bunting. The hood is not really black, more of a grey with a hint of brown although female Red-headed Bunting is similar. Yellow.breasted Bunting and Chestnut Bunting are the other possibilities but they can be both ruled out, the latter does not have a yellow collar and the former is far too 'multicoloured' to match your description. Red-headed are known to be kept in captivity and are often known as escapees, but Black-headed Bunting would be a real rarity. Hope this helps.


Colin

Oops, my references to rarity value assumed that the sighting was in the UK as I inferred it from Daves location in the side panel. Am I wrong in that assumption? If so, and it is outside of the UK there could be other possibilities to the id and/or the rarity value could be different.

Colin

Colin / Kevin,
I did consider a female b.h. bunting but the area round the eyes was eye catchingly black, I thought maybe a young male, I never had a chance / time to get a photo of this one though it showed well over the 2 days to as close as 7mtrs.
We have a digital camera aboard, but because it is a potential ignition source in a hazardous area we have to raise a P.T.W. ( permit to work ) which involves a forest of paperwork. The unit is in the U.K. sector of the central north sea.
Dave

Hmmm . . "Occupation: Offshore oil production"

The bird "was observed aboard my unit on the 30-4-03 & 1-5-03"

So this is on a North Sea oil rig . .

Black-headed Bunting is a good possibility, though it doesn't sound 100% right for this bird, B-hB is same size as Yellowhammer (though size can be very hard to judge on a peculiar habitat like an oil rig!), and females are darkest on the crown, not around the eyes. But what else it could be, apart from Red-headed Bunting (female B-h & R-h Buntings are almost impossible to tell apart!) I wouldn't like to say.

Michael

Kevin,
Wind was Southerly & South easterly, and it may be an overshoot. I would think it is in somewhere in Scotland now as it was in good shape when with us.
Dave

To see the weather conditions at the time:

Day before (29 April)
http://217.160.91.114/wz/pics/archiv...ka20030429.gif

Day of arrival (30 April)
http://217.160.91.114/wz/pics/archiv...ka20030430.gif

Michael

Michael,
Thanks, When I submit my observations to the N.S.B.C. ( North Sea Bird Club ) I get the local weather for the day ( recorded every 6 hours ) from the log book on the unit. When offshore, I find the best way of estimating the size of birds is to use what is available . ie. when sitting on a hand rail that is 50mm. in dia.how many times does that go into the bird.Other birds observed on the 30th were 2 Meadow pipits, 7 G.b.b.gulls, 3 Blackcaps ( 2 x male 1 x female ) 1 Lesser whitethroat, 3 Collard doves, 3 Swallows and a resident Jackdaw, & on the 1st we had 3 Gannets, 3 Fulmar, 2 Swallows, 1 Brambling, 1 Collard dove, 1 Meadow pipit, 1 Willow warbler, 2 House martin, 90 + G.b.b.gulls,
Dave

I for one would think we would all be interested in you posting what you see on the rigs on a regular basis.